sanford



S. J. SANFOR GOLF APPARATUS.

ls.1. SANFORD.

' GOLF APPARATUS.

APPLICATION` FILED ^UG.29." |911- 1,309, 105, Patented July 8, 1919.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

ya@ my SYDNEY J. SANFORD, OF LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA.

GOLF APPARATUS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented JulyS, 1919.

Application filed` August 429, 1917. Serial N o. 188,744.

To all whom t may concern V Be it known that I, SYDNEY J. SANFORD, a citizen `of Canada,I residing at Los Anfreles, in the county of Los Angeles, State-0f alifornia, have invented new and useful Improvements'in Golf Apparatus, of which the following a specification.

This invention relates togolf apparatus and relates particularly to apparatus for playing golf in a restricted space. And it is an objectief this invention to provide a simple and inexpensive apparatus which may be readily set up in any convenient location and by the use of which a golfer may play thegame of golf in a restricted area, or en tirely indoors, if so desired.

Preferably my apparatus should be erected in close proximity to a plot of grass sufficiently large to be used as a putting green and should be roofed over to protect it from the weather; but any other location or situation may be used, as will hereinafter appear.

My apparatus comprises in its essentials a flexible curtain or sheet in a vertical position and stretched to al suitable tightness by some yielding or resilient means. The ball is driven against the sheet and the impact displaces the sheet. A registering apparatus registers in accordance with the amount of displacement of the sheet, and, for golf, this registering indicates the number of yards which the ball would have traveled if it had not been stopped by the sheet-if it had been played on the open field of a regular golf course. Furthermore, I vertically divide 'the sheet into three parts. The central part is of proper width to represent the fair way, and the outside parts represent the rough. Each part has its independent register; so that the length of flight may be known whether the ball has been driven into the rough or in the fair way. The full nature of my invention will be best understood from the following detailed description of a specific and ypreferred form of apparatus; reference being had for this purpose to the accompanyingdrawings in which FigureI 1 is a front elevation of my improved apparatus; Fig. 2 is a vertical cross section of the same; Fig. 3 is a section taken as indicated by line 30-8 on Fig. 1*; Fig. 4 is a detail view showing the face of the registering dial; y

Fig. 5 is a side elevation of the registering mechanism, Fig. G is an enlarged detail section of the registeringmechanism; and Fig.

I,The sheets 15 and 16 are mounted at the back part of the structure. The upper edges of these sheets may be permanentlyrigidly attached at 17 to a beam 18; and the lower edges of these sheets are attached to the forward edges of individual frames 19 and 20,

preferably by having a hem taken in the lower edges of the sheets and the forward member 2l of the frame passing through this hem. The frames 19 and 20 are preferably made of pipe and pipe fittingsy and comprise the forward members 21 and the rear members 22 and the intermediate parallel members 23 and the side members 24. The frames are pivoted on the rear members 22 by means of pivot straps 14; or any other suitable means may be used.

Between each of the sheet portions 15 and 16 there is a loose loop Q5. The sheets 15 and 16 act independently of each other; and these loops allow such independent action and at the same time catch any ball which might otherwise pass between the portions 15 and 16.

Each frame 19 and 2O is provided with a resilient means for holding it down and s thus holding the sheet taut preferably; comprising al spring 30 secured at both ends at 31 to the Hoor 11a, the spring being brought up over the upper end of a screwthreaded adjusting rod 32 which is screw-threaded into a sleeve 33 set into the middle of the member 23 of the frame. The spring 30 is preferably relatively stiff, and the tension may be adjusted by adjusting the rod 32.

From each one of the frames, 19 and 20, there extends upwardly a connecting wire or cord 35. This connecting wire or cord 35 has a turn buckle 36 in it so that its length can be somewhat adjusted to compensate for the contraction or expansion of the sheets due to weather changes. The connecting wires or cords 35 extend over pulleys 87 upwardly and forwardly and thenextend out and carry each a weight 38 on the lower end. This weight 38 is only of suiieient size to keep the cord 35 tight and to cause the oper ation of the mechanism 39., The registering mechanism is shown in detail in Figs. 4 and 5. A dial 40 is provided; and this dial is graduated, for the game of golf, to read in yards. A pointer hand 41 travels over the dial; a spool 42 is connected with the pointer hand 41, and a small cord `43 connects with the weight 38 and winds around the spool 42 and then hangs down to a position convenient to be grasped by the player.

The hand 41 is mounted upon a short shaft 41u mounted in bearings in the dial 4()` and in a bearing frame 41b which may be secured to the back of the dial plate. The spool 42 is mounted on or a part of the shaft 41a. A screw 44 inthe end of shaft 41 holds a coiled spring 44 against bearing frame 41b and thus provides sulicient friction to hold the pointer 41 in any position to which it may be moved by the cord 43.

In playing the game on this apparatus, the usual golf ball and clubs are used. The ball is first teed at a distance of perhaps twenty feet or so from the curtain or sheet. The ball is then driven against the sheet and it will force the sheet back by an amount depending upon the force of the drive. The rearward displacement of the curtain causes an upward movement of the frame 19 or 20 against the action of the spring 30. The upward movement of the frame allows the connecting cord 35 to move and allows the weight 38 to drop. When the weight 38 moves downwardly it pulls upon cord 43 and moves the dial hand 41 to indicate the number of yards which the ball would have traveled had it not been intercepted by the sheet. The dial hand 41 will remain at this posi'- tion to which it has been moved, due to the action of spring 44, although the weight 38 is immediately moved upwardly by t e action of the spring 30. After the player has read the distance on the dial he then pulls down on the hanging part of the cord 43 and moves the dial hand 41 back to its zero position. If the ball is driven against the central sheet portion 15 it will, of course, register upon the corresponding dial. If it is driven against either of the side portions 16, it will register upon the corresponding dial; and if it is driven into either of the division pockets 25 it will re' istei' upon two dials simultaneously. In t is last case the indications of the two dials are to be added together.

I find that by proper adjustment of the spring 30 I can make the mechanism 39 register very accurately the distance which the ball would have flown. At a standard distance from the sheet a ball which rises properly to makek the longest flight will strike about the center of the sheet, and will therefore make a correspondingly large indication on the dial. A ball driven with the same amount of force but striking the lower edge of the sheet will of course not make so large an indication upon the dial, just in proportion as it would not have made a long flight upon an actual golf course. In order to protect the lower edge of the sheet against being hit by the ball, I make the floor 11a below the floor 11 so that the frames 19 and 20 stand normally below the iioor 11.

With my apparatus I can take the plan ot' any given goltl course and can playY through that golf course; because upon each stroke I known how far the ball would have gone, and its direction, so that I can locate upon the plan the exact point at which the ball will then supposedly lie; and I then know the distance and direction in which the ball should be neXt driven.

My apparatus may be used for games other than golf'. For instance, it may be used for baseball pitchers practice. In this case, there need be only a single sheet of smaller size; and the dial may be divided to read in pounds impact rather than in the distance in yards.

Having described a preferred form of my invention, I claim:

1. A game apparatus, embodying an upright flexible sheet, yielding means to hold the sheet taut, and registry means connected with the sheet and adapted to register in accordance with the displacement of the sheet by a missile striking it.

2. A game apparatus, embodying an upright flexible sheet, resilient means to hold the sheet taut, and registry means connecting with the sheet and adapted to register in accordance with the displacement of the sheet by a missile striking it.

3. A game apparatus, embodying an upright flexible sheet anchored at one edge, a movable frame to which the opposite edge of the sheet is attached, spring means acting on said frame to hold the sheet taut, and registry means connected with the frame and adapted to register in accordance with movement of the frame caused by displacement of the sheet.

4. A game apparatus, embodying an upright flexible sheet permanently anchored at its upper edge, a vertically movable frame to which the 'lower edge of the sheet is attached, spring means holding the framev down and holding the sheet taut, and means to register the movement of the frame.

5. A game apparatus, embodying an upright flexible sheet permanently anchored at its upper edge, a vertically movable frame to which the lower edge of the sheet is attached, spring means holding the frame down and holding the sheet taut, and means to register the movement of the frame, embodying a graduated dial and a hand movable over the dial, the hand being connected to said frame.

6. A game apparatus, embodying a frame,

an upright flexible sheet permanently attached to the frame at its upper edge, a vertically movable pivoted frame sonnected to the lower edge of the sheet, an adjustable spring holding said pivoted frame down and holding the sheet taut, a register means located in front of the upper part of the sheet embodying a dial and a hand movable thereover, and an adjustable connecting cord between the pivoted frame and the hand.

7. :A game a paratus, embodying an upright flexible s eet vertically divided into three portions, independent means for holding each of said portions taut, and a registry means for each portion adapted to register the displacement of said portion by a missile `striking it.

8. A game apparatus, embodying an up,- right flexible sheet vertically divided into three portions by loose loops of the sheet, a resilient means for each of the portions to hold it taut, and a registry means for each of said portions adapted to register the amount of displacement of the portion by a missile.

9. A game apparatus, embodying a frame, an upright flexible sheet permanently attached to the frame at its upper edge, a vertically movable pivoted frame connected to the lower edge of the sheet, an adjustable.

spring holding said pivoted frame down and holding the sheet taut, a register means located in front of the upper part of the sheet embodying a dial and a hand movable thereover, and an adjustable connecting cord between the pivoted frame and the hand, and Jfriction means on the dial hand to hold it in whateverposition it is placed.

In witness that I claim the foregoing I have hereunto subscribed my name this 20th day of August 1917.

SYDNEY J. SANFORD. Witness:

J AMES T. BARKELEW. 

